(3.828-890) Now soon as ever the maiden saw the light of dawn, with her hands she gathered up her golden tresses which were floating round her shoulders in careless disarray, and bathed her tear-stained cheeks, and made her skin shine with ointment sweet as nectar; and she donned a beautiful robe, fitted with well-bent clasps, and above on her head, divinely fair, she threw a veil gleaming like silver. And there, moving to and fro in the palace, she trod the ground forgetful of the heaven-sent woes thronging round her and of others that were destined to follow. And she called to her maids. Twelve they were, who lay during the night in the vestibule of her fragrant chamber, young as herself, not yet sharing the bridal couch, and she bade them hastily yoke the mules to the chariot to bear her to the beauteous shrine of Hecate. Thereupon the handmaids were making ready the chariot; and Medea meanwhile took from the hollow casket a charm which men say is called the charm of Prometheus. If a man should anoint his body therewithal, having first appeased the Maiden, the only-begotten, with sacrifice by night, surely that man could not be wounded by the stroke of bronze nor would he flinch from blazing fire; but for that day he would prove superior both in prowess and in might. It shot up first- born when the ravening eagle on the rugged flanks of Caucasus let drip to the earth the blood-like ichor of tortured Prometheus. And its flower appeared a cubit above ground in colour like the Corycian crocus, rising on twin stalks; but in the earth the root was like newly-cut flesh. The dark juice of it, like the sap of a mountain-oak, she had gathered in a Caspian shell to make the charm withal, when she had first bathed in seven ever-flowing streams, and had called seven times on Brimo, nurse of youth, night-wandering Brimo, of the underworld, queen among the dead, -- in the gloom of night, clad in dusky garments. And beneath, the dark earth shook and bellowed when the Titanian root was cut; and the son of Iapetus himself groaned, his soul distraught with pain. And she brought the charm forth and placed it in the fragrant band which engirdled her, just beneath her bosom, divinely fair. And going forth she mounted the swift chariot, and with her went two handmaidens on each side. And she herself took the reins and in her right hand the well-fashioned whip, and drove through the city; and the rest, the handmaids, laid their hands on the chariot behind and ran along the broad highway; and they kilted up their light robes above their white knees. And even as by the mild waters of Parthenius, or after bathing in the river Amnisus, Leto's daughter stands upon her golden chariot and courses over the hills with her swift-footed roes, to greet from afar some richly-steaming hecatomb; and with her come the nymphs in attendance, gathering, some at the spring of Amnisus itself, others by the glens and many-fountained peaks; and round her whine and fawn the beasts cowering as she moves along: thus they sped through the city; and on both sides the people gave way, shunning the eyes of the royal maiden. But when she had left the city's well paved streets, and was approaching the shrine as she drove over the plains, then she alighted eagerly from the smooth- running chariot and spake as follows among her maidens:
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828 Ἡ δ' ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ πρῶτα φαεινομένην ἴδεν ἠῶ
829 παρθενική, ξανθὰς μὲν ἀνήψατο χερσὶν ἐθείρας,
830 αἵ οἱ ἀτημελίῃ καταειμέναι ἠερέθοντο,
831 αὐσταλέας δ' ἔψησε παρηίδας: αὐτὰρ ἀλοιφῇ
832 νεκταρέῃ φαιδρύνετ' ἐπὶ χρόα: δῦνε δὲ πέπλον
833 καλόν, ἐυγνάμπτοισιν ἀρηρέμενον περόνῃσιν:
834 ἀμβροσίῳ δ' ἐφύπερθε καρήατι βάλλε καλύπτρην
835 ἀργυφέην. αὐτοῦ δὲ δόμοις ἔνι δινεύουσα
836 στεῖβε πέδον λήθῃ ἀχέων, τά οἱ ἐν ποσὶν ἦεν
837 θεσπέσι', ἄλλα τ' ἔμελλεν ἀεξήσεσθαι ὀπίσσω.
838 κέκλετο δ' ἀμφιπόλοις, αἵ οἱ δυοκαίδεκα πᾶσαι
839 ἐν προδόμῳ θαλάμοιο θυώδεος ηὐλίζοντο
840 ἥλικες, οὔπω λέκτρα σὺν ἀνδράσι πορσύνουσαι,
841 ἐσσυμένως οὐρῆας ὑποζεύξασθαι ἀπήνῃ,
842 οἵ κέ μιν εἰς Ἑκάτης περικαλλέα νηὸν ἄγοιεν.
843 ἔνθ' αὖτ' ἀμφίπολοι μὲν ἐφοπλίζεσκον ἀπήνην:
844 ἡ δὲ τέως γλαφυρῆς ἐξείλετο φωριαμοῖο
845 φάρμακον, ὅ ῥά τέ φασι Προμήθειον καλέεσθαι.
846 τῷ εἴ κ' ἐννυχίοισιν ἀρεσσάμενος θυέεσσιν
847 Κούρην μουνογένειαν ἑὸν δέμας ἰκμαίνοιτο,
848 ἦ τ' ἂν ὅγ' οὔτε ῥηκτὸς ἔοι χαλκοῖο τυπῇσιν,
849 οὔτε κεν αἰθομένῳ πυρὶ εἰκάθοι: ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλκῇ
850 λωίτερος κεῖν' ἦμαρ ὁμῶς κάρτει τε πέλοιτο.
851 πρωτοφυὲς τόγ' ἀνέσχε καταστάξαντος ἔραζε
852 αἰετοῦ ὠμηστέω κνημοῖς ἔνι Καυκασίοισιν
853 αἱματόεντ' ἰχῶρα Προμηθῆος μογεροῖο.
854 τοῦ δ' ἤτοι ἄνθος μὲν ὅσον πήχυιον ὕπερθεν
855 χροιῇ Κωρυκίῳ ἴκελον κρόκῳ ἐξεφαάνθη,
856 καυλοῖσιν διδύμοισιν ἐπήορον: ἡ δ' ἐνὶ γαίῃ
857 σαρκὶ νεοτμήτῳ ἐναλιγκίη ἔπλετο ῥίζα.
858 τῆς οἵην τ' ἐν ὄρεσσι κελαινὴν ἰκμάδα φηγοῦ
859 Κασπίῃ ἐν κόχλῳ ἀμήσατο φαρμάσσεσθαι,
860 ἑπτὰ μὲν ἀενάοισι λοεσσαμένη ὑδάτεσσιν,
861 ἑπτάκι δὲ Βριμὼ κουροτρόφον ἀγκαλέσασα,
862 Βριμὼ νυκτιπόλον, χθονίην, ἐνέροισιν ἄνασσαν,
863 λυγαίῃ ἐνὶ νυκτί, σὺν ὀρφναίοις φαρέεσσιν.
864 μυκηθμῷ δ' ὑπένερθεν ἐρεμνὴ σείετο γαῖα,
865 ῥίζης τεμνομένης Τιτηνίδος: ἔστενε δ' αὐτὸς
866 Ἰαπετοῖο πάις ὀδύνῃ πέρι θυμὸν ἀλύων.
867 τό ῥ' ἥγ' ἐξανελοῦσα θυώδεϊ κάτθετο μίτρῃ,
868 ἥ τέ οἱ ἀμβροσίοισι περὶ στήθεσσιν ἔερτο.
869 ἐκ δὲ θύραζε κιοῦσα θοῆς ἐπεβήσατ' ἀπήνης:
870 σὺν δέ οἱ ἀμφίπολοι δοιαὶ ἑκάτερθεν ἔβησαν.
871 αὐτὴ δ' ἡνί' ἔδεκτο καὶ εὐποίητον ἱμάσθλην
872 δεξιτερῇ, ἔλαεν δὲ δι' ἄστεος: αἱ δὲ δὴ ἄλλαι
873 ἀμφίπολοι, πείρινθος ἐφαπτόμεναι μετόπισθεν,
874 τρώχων εὐρεῖαν κατ' ἀμαξιτόν: ἂν δὲ χιτῶνας
875 λεπταλέους λευκῆς ἐπιγουνίδος ἄχρις ἄειρον.
876 οἵη δὲ λιαροῖσιν ἐφ' ὕδασι Παρθενίοιο,
877 ἠὲ καὶ Ἀμνισοῖο λοεσσαμένη ποταμοῖο
878 χρυσείοις Λητωὶς ἐφ' ἅρμασιν ἑστηυῖα
879 ὠκείαις κεμάδεσσι διεξελάσῃσι κολώνας,
880 τηλόθεν ἀντιόωσα πολυκνίσου ἑκατόμβης:
881 τῇ δ' ἅμα νύμφαι ἕπονται ἀμορβάδες, αἱ μὲν ἐπ' αὐτῆς
882 ἀγρόμεναι πηγῆς Ἀμνισίδος, ἂν δὲ δὴ ἄλλαι
883 ἄλσεα καὶ σκοπιὰς πολυπίδακας: ἀμφὶ δὲ θῆρες
884 κνυζηθμῷ σαίνουσιν ὑποτρομέοντες ἰοῦσαν:
885 ὧς αἵγ' ἐσσεύοντο δι' ἄστεος: ἀμφὶ δὲ λαοὶ
886 εἶκον, ἀλευάμενοι βασιληίδος ὄμματα κούρης.
887 αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ πόλιος μὲν ἐυδμήτους λίπ' ἀγυιάς,
888 νηὸν δ' εἰσαφίκανε διὲκ πεδίων ἐλάουσα,
889 δὴ τότ' ἐυτροχάλοιο κατ' αὐτόθι βήσατ' ἀπήνης
890 ἱεμένη, καὶ τοῖα μετὰ δμωῇσιν ἔειπεν:
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